To Love, To Cherish
by DragonLover43
Summary: Taking Dumbledore's advice, Snape decides to look into adopting, only to quickly discover that parenthood is a lot more than he bargained for. Things soon develop into something that he never saw coming.
1. Chapter 1

It had been three months since Lily gave birth to her and James' son, Harry. As Snape sat in Dumbledore's office, the Hogwarts Headmaster entered the room with a small stack of papers.

"What's that for?" Snape asked, both curious and dreading the answer.

"Adoption papers," Dumbledore said simply.

" _You're_ adopting?" Snape asked, raising an eyebrow dubiously. A sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach told him that answer was too easy.

"No. I was thinking you would benefit from it," Dumbledore said. "There's a baby around Lily's son's age who has incredible power. If we intervene quickly, we might be able to prevent serious damage being done."

"Why would _I_ look after a baby? What the hell am I supposed to do with a child?" Snape snapped.

"It would do you good, Severus. This child needs a parent, and you could use something to do. Convince Voldemort that you'd raise her to be an incredible weapon that would make taking over the world that much easier, but that causing her harm would turn her against him."

At that, without wanting to, his mind began formulating a plan. He knew exactly what to say to convince the Dark Lord to let him look after a child without much opposition. There was just one problem. "What of our plan?"

"If it all pans out, the girl will play an integral part in bringing down Voldemort once and for all."

The look of mischief on Dumbledore's face caused Snape to squirm uncomfortably in his seat. "What about my job here? Won't raising a child cause some issues with me needing to be here or with the Dark Lord?"

"Bring her here. The staff will raise her. Just be sure to mark her in some way as yours so no other Death Eater will touch her in a malicious way. Besides," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, "It'll give Hagrid something to look forward to."

"Hagrid?" Dumbledore nodded. "If he's causing trouble, why not let him go? Didn't he cause a lot of grief when he was in his third year here?"

The twinkle faded from the Headmaster's eyes, replaced by anger. "I do not believe Hagrid was fully responsible for that. He has a lot of love in his heart that comes out in unusual ways, showing affection to questionable creatures, but none of his pets have ever intentionally caused harm."

Snape held his hands up placatingly. "Okay, just asking."


	2. Chapter 2

Sitting in the orphanage office, Snape shifted uncomfortably. He'd gotten permission from Voldemort, and had with him Bellatrix, much to his displeasure. They had been bickering back and forth all day about who was going to be the child's guardian.

"I still don't see why _you_ get to adopt a snot-nosed brat instead of someone more capable, like a woman," sniffed Bellatrix.

"Probably because I don't call children snot-nosed brats," replied Snape in the driest of tones. "Besides, do _you_ know how to deal with children?"

"No, and why would I? Why should it matter?" snapped Bella.

"Because we need this child to like us," replied he in the most patient of tones. His patience was wearing thin, and soon he would break her wand off in her ass if things didn't happen quickly. "You heard what I said to our Dark Lord, the child will be my ward, and must be made to think of me as a trustworthy companion."

"Then why are you bringing it to Hogwarts on your undercover missions?"

"Because I need to earn this child's trust. Besides, this child, a girl, I believe, will be well looked after by the staff while I infiltrate and gain the trust of, Albus Dumbledore, something none of the others are capable of. Dumbledore would see right through anything, but due to my unique set of skills-" She snorted at this. "he seems to be willing to give me a chance. The Dark Lord knows this, and if he thought of someone more qualified, do you not think he would have sent them instead of me?"

"Well, he chose _me_ as your accomplice, did he not? Surely that must mean you're not entirely trusted."  
Snape smirked, remembering the conversation he'd had with Voldemort.  
 _  
"Please, just take her with you and get her out of here, for my sanity. She's a valuable asset, but Merlin's holy manhood does she talk," Voldemort said. Nagini hissed in agreement, brushing against her master briefly.  
_

 _Snape tried not to smile, letting a miniscule smirk escape. "Of course, my Lord," he replied, trying not to laugh.  
_  
"Oh, the Dark Lord has plans for you yet, don't you worry your precious head about anything," Snape said. Their conversation was cut short as a portly Muggle worker waddled into the office. "Hello, I'm Severus Snape, and this is my, er..." They exchanged glances. To be called a pair would be both an insult and disturbing, while to be called friends would be flat-out lying. "...neighbor." Bellatrix gave the tiniest of nods. "Bellatrix. I asked her to come with me because I'd like to adopt one of your children. I've heard that you have a child who is causing problems?"

"Oh, oh yes, of course, Mr. Snape," said the woman. Snape tried not to cringe, grinding his teeth for a brief moment. "Right this way." She lead them down a long corridor into a large rectangular room with flat grey walls and identical cribs. Children one year and younger were lined up in the miniature prisons. One girl in particular seemed fascinated with the bars of her cage. The next thing they knew, the girl was on the floor and crawling around. There was no damage done to the bars. Acting on instinct, Snape cast a memory modifying spell then went over and ripped a bar off, dropping it to the floor before scooping up the child.

"Is this the girl I've heard about?" he asked as the spell took over the woman. She would remember the child pushing the bars to breaking point and the bar falling to the floor, little girl tumbling out afterward.

The woman blinked twice. "Oh, yes, this is her. Her name is Tabitha, or so the note she was left with says. She was left on our doorstep Christmas Eve, so we've taken to saying that is her birthday," she said. "Are you sure you want her? The other children are far better behaved, and won't destroy your home."

"Yes, I'm sure." He smiled gently at the child, who cooed up at him. "She'll be a perfect addition to my household."

"Great! I'll bring you into a quiet side room to fill out the forms." They followed her into the room and Snape passed his young charge to Bellatrix, who awkwardly held the child in what could be considered a strangle-hold position. He filled out the forms and signed at the bottom before taking the now struggling baby from Bellatrix, who gladly passed her back.

"Thank you for this opportunity," Bellatrix threw over her shoulder as they left.

 _Albus, if she proves to be a pain-in-the-ass handful, I'm going to torture you and enjoy it,_ Snape thought.


	3. Chapter 3

Tabitha was adapting quickly to her new surroundings. She gripped Snape's fingers tightly as she stumbled along. He was bent double, teaching her to walk. He smiled gently and picked her up. Dumbledore was taking her for his afternoon class. He went into the Headmaster's office and plopped his new daughter down on the cushions in a safe place where she was least likely to fall and hurt herself.

He hated to admit it, but he'd started to get attached to the little girl. Her eyes were a lovely shade of reddish-brown, her hair a strawberry blonde. "I'll be back to get her after class. Let me know if she causes any trouble, sir," Snape said to Dumbledore.

Tabitha crawled over and climbed up the desk, standing on her own. Dumbledore smiled and opened his hands. She toddled forward a few steps then collapsed into his arms. He picked her up and set her on his lap, moving the valuables out of the way so she couldn't break them. "Oh, Severus, we'll be fine," he said. Tabitha looked up at him, chewing on a fist, and smiled.

In spite of all outward appearances, Snape's heart twitched in a way that hurt, but also felt kinda good. What a curious feeling. He shook his head and headed off to teach. His forearm burned where the Dark Mark was etched into his flesh. Voldemort was looking for an update on either the child or his mission. Class ended and he hurried off to Dumbledore's office. Without thinking, he scratched the Dark Mark, drawing the Headmaster's eyes to it.

"Would you like to take her or would you rather leave her here with me?" Dumbledore said, steely blue eyes meeting deep black.

"I'll say she's napping and gets fussy," Snape said. "He sent Bellatrix with me saying that while she's valuable, she talks too much." They both chuckled at that. "What should I tell him of the mission he believes he sent me on?"

"Tell him it's going well but that you still need to earn my trust, that I've almost completely surrendered to your..." Dumbledore trailed off as Tabitha swung a fist around as she bounced. He bobbed his knee, soothing her urge to move for the moment. "...skills."

Snape nodded and left. "Oh, and make sure to let the students know that class is cancelled this afternoon."

"Will do." Tabitha could be heard shrieking with laughter. Snape made it to Hogsmeade and forced the smile on his face back down to his stomach as he Apparated.


	4. Chapter 4

A few months later, Snape returned to his home with Dumbledore and Tabitha. He sank into the couch, grief weighing heavily on his heart, making breathing difficult. It was like having an open wound and each breath rubbing it with jagged metal covered in rust. How could he go on, knowing that his efforts to save her had failed? _Lily is dead_ came the agonizing thought over and over again. A fresh wave of tears swam past his eyelids. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and allowing his hands to dangle as his inky mop shielded his face from outward view. He opened his eyes when he heard Tabitha toddle around. A grubby little fist was crushing a small slender package. He looked at her, confusion taking over briefly. She pulled it back and glared at it before thrusting it back toward him. She pulled her thumb out of her mouth.

"Ouchie go bye-bye," she chirped. He picked her up and held her as he examined the thing she had given him.

 _Oh how sweet,_ he thought, in spite of himself. _She brought a bandaid._ He looked at her and his heart gave that funny kick again. Then it did something he hadn't expected: it turned over and rolled for her. He hugged her tightly. "Yeah, ouchie gonna go bye-bye." He smiled, taking solace in the fact that even though he'd lost Lily, he still had his daughter.

"What did she give you, Severus?" Dumbledore asked. He held out a hand when Snape passed it over. "Aw, a smiley-faced strip of paper."

"It's a Muggle invention used to treat small wounds. It's called a bandaid," Snape said quietly. "If you have a nick, I'll tell you how to use it."

"Well I did scrape my knee earlier," Dumbledore said.

Snape chuckled. "Okay, here's how you use it. Peel the packaging, or tear it. Only this part here," he said as he reached over and tugged on the wrapper. Dumbledore ripped through the the tearable membrane. Inside was a woven cloth with two strips of slippery paper on one side. "Now bend it on half away from the white paper. Don't worry about that, it's gauze, a material that wicks away moisture including blood. Push the gauze onto the wound gently, then grasp the paper and press the woven cloth bits onto your skin." Dumbledore followed the instructions with due diligence. "I put them on her because magic kinda spooks her a bit."

With his robes now covering the smiling bandage, Dumbledore looked over at the father-daughter duo.

"So what will you do now?" Dumbledore asked. Snape looked at him in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, since Voldemort is no longer as much of a threat, what are your plans for Tabitha? Will you return her to the orphanage?"

Snape cradled the girl in his arms in a firm yet gentle and caring manner. "No, absolutely not." He looked down at her and his face relaxed into a soft, loving smile.

He nuzzled her, coaxing a giggle out of her, before looking up at Dumbledore. "She's my little girl, and nothing is going to stop that."

"So you've grown attached, then?"

"As much as it may yet come to pain me, yes I've grown attached." He looked down at her and she blinked sleepily up at him, giving a halfhearted smile before snuggling into his arms and dropping off to sleep. He looked up at the clock and realized it was roughly her nap time, so he stood and carried her to her nursery, placing Tabitha into her crib and covering her in a fuzzy blanket. He placed a kiss very gently on her forehead before raising the railing of her crib and setting it as quietly as possible before sneaking back out to the sitting room adjacent. Dumbledore was gone, and with nothing to distract him, his grief returned. He sat down on the couch, kicked off his shoes, and lay back, hugging a pillow as he silently mourned Lily's death.


	5. Chapter 5

About a week after Snape and Tabitha returned home from Hogwarts one year, about five after she was adopted, a falcon slammed into a window, cracking it before falling into a bush. He fixed the window while she rushed to check on the bird. It stared at them, wide-eyed and as stunned as though someone had cast the Stunning spells on it. She reached out a hand slowly and it opened its beak, gripping its talons tightly. She picked it up and brought it out to the middle of the yard, where some potion plants were growing in a nearby garden. Setting it down on its belly, she retreated to the porch to watch it. Snape went back inside after telling her to leave the bird alone.

"Okay, Daddy," she said. She sat and watched the falcon flop around before sitting up and looking at her. It flopped over to her, stopping at the foot of the stairs as it peered up at her. "I can't help you, falcon. I'm sorry." It stared unblinking at her. The screen door creaked and popped as Snape leaned out to check on her. He sighed when both girl and bird looked at him.

"Well, if it won't fly away on its own, then you may as well toss it into the air. It should be able to fly," he said.

"Okay," she said scooting down the stairs and holding out a wrist for the bird to hop onto. She ran up the stairs onto the deck and held out her arm, letting the bird get its bearings before it crouched low, lifted its wings, and flew off, depositing a glob of poo on the boards. "Ew!"

 _Well, I saw that coming,_ Snape sighed. He pointed his wand at the white and brown mess and murmured a spell to get rid of it. "Come inside, Tabitha, it's time for afternoon tea."

"Okay, Daddy," she said. She skipped inside, promptly tripping on the small pile of boots in the entrance. "I'm okay." She brushed her hands off and both of them examined her palms. Aside from some dirt, there was no damage.


	6. Chapter 6

The next day, Tabitha woke early and looked outside to see a beautiful sunrise. Throwing on some comfortable play clothes, she hurried as quietly as she could to the back door. There she slipped on some shoes and opened the door just wide enough to squeeze through but not so wide that it made any noise. There was a white mound of fur on the deck. When she approached it, she recognized it as one of the white rabbits she'd seen in a backyard pen while her father was doing business with the homeowners. Her shoulders sagged and a chill stole over her as her previous excitement faded to nearly nothing. She knelt down by the rabbit and tried to roll it over. It leapt across the deck the moment her fingers touched its fur and whipped around, looking at her, stiff as a board.

She too jumped back with a yelp. She heard scrambling inside and looked back to her father wearing a black silk robe and dark grey-and-black pajamas. The only color was from the slippers she had chosen for him for Christmas on year. He didn't really like them, and they really didn't work with his personality, but he wore them for her. She pointed at the white rabbit.

"I thought it was dead," she said. "I found it this morning."

Severus stepped out and bent over, offering her a hand. "Let's get some breakfast, then we'll take it into town, okay?" he said.

She nodded and took his hand, getting to her feet. They went inside then heard a rather hard _thump!_ Looking back, they saw a large salmon flopping around, slamming its head into the deck repeatedly. They exchanged looks then went outside to investigate, him bringing his wand out and walking in front of her. They stepped out onto the deck and looked up. In the large crab apple tree looming over the deck sat a rather proud-of-himself falcon. "Er..." Severus said, not sure what to say or do. "Thanks?"

The bird of prey flew down and landed beside Tabitha, giving her an almost friendly cry. "Thank you for the gifts, but we can look after ourselves," she said to the falcon. "Daddy, what kind of bird is this?"

"It looks like a Merlin falcon," he said after looking the bird over. He looked down at his feet in alarm as the salmon slammed once more into the deck, flipping over and hitting him in the leg before laying still, gasping. A green light sprang from his wand and the drying fish died.

"Can we keep him?" The Merlin falcon bobbed eagerly at this prospect.

Severus sighed, rubbing his face with his free hand. His silence made her heart sink, the falcon inching closer and nibbling gently at her fingers when she reached out a slow hand. "Yeah, sure, why not," he relented at last. "Are you sure you can take care of him though?"

"Oh, yes, I can look after him real good," she said. "I'll feed him and brush him and play with him all the time." She held out a wrist and the falcon stepped onto her arm. "I think a good name for you would be Hosier. What do you think?" The small bird of prey stared at her with one eye for a while before blinking and ducking his head once.


	7. Chapter 7

The morning Tabitha's letter came, not long after dawn on her birthday, Snape opened the door and shook her shoulder gently, grinning from ear to ear. "Wakey-wakey, Tabby," he said quietly. She grumbled and rolled over.

"Five m'r mins, Daddy," she mumbled sleepily.

"Happy birthday," he crooned. She rolled onto her back and looked at him groggily through a crack in her eyelid. "You going to get up or are you going to sleep through your birthday?" She sat up with an awful case of bedhead, her hair appearing as though some sort of horrible entity had possessed it and was dancing wildly before Snape came in to wake her. He had a hand behind his back, grasping the envelope from Hogwarts. Hosier gave a piercing cry before swooping behind him, snatching the letter from his hands.

"Oy!" scolded Snape, giving the now puffed-up-with-pride falcon a dirty look. "Rude." The bird of prey gave him an icy look that mimicked the chill of a Dementor. Ignoring this, Snape looked at his daughter as she stared at the letter, not quite comprehending what it was. "You know how I teach at Hogwarts?" She nodded. "You'll be a student there if you'd like." She gave her best attempt at a smile, though it looked more like a grimace.

"That sounds exciting," she said, her voice sounding off due to having just woken up.

"Do you want to go to Hogwarts as a student so you can learn to be a good witch?" he asked. She nodded sleepily. He chuckled. "Do you want to go back to sleep?" She nodded again. He laughed. "Okay. Sleep tight, Tabby. I'll wake you in an hour, okay?" She nodded again before flopping back to her pillows, her Hogwarts letter loosely in her grasp. Hosier pecked at the window. Snape went over and opened it, sniffing the early morning air. The Merlin falcon darted for the window, nipping through it with all the grace of a bird ten times its size. Smiling to himself, he closed the window, tucked Tabitha in, set her letter on the nightstand nearest her, then went out to begin preparing breakfast.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N:  
Should probably mention that after adopting her, Snape took her to a Muggle doctor to determine her real age, and through that discovered her birthday was actually around mid-August. They decided to set that as her birthday, picking a random date from a two week span the doctor had guesstimated.

* * *

"Dad, I've got a question," Tabitha said after getting dressed and sitting out at the table, Hosier preening himself in the window. Snape set down a plate of eggs, toast, and some ham before her.

"What's that?" he asked, sitting down with his own plate of toast, eggs, and breakfast sausage.

"I read the supply list and I'm wondering if I can bring Hosier instead of another. That and would I get in trouble if Hosier followed us? You know he has the tracking capabilities of a Taboo spell," she said. "Or a bloodhound."

He paused eating, chewing a piece of his breakfast sausage ponderously. "Mmm," he said. "I don't know, honestly. I'll have to ask. But I'm sure we'll be able to work something out." He smiled at her, which she returned, then they both tucked in to eat.


	9. Chapter 9

After an uneventful school supply trip, Snape and Tabitha made it to Hogwarts in one piece, the Potions Master heading to his place. Tabitha bounced after the other first years, Hosier flying in and landing on her shoulder. She had made a shabby shoulder pad to cushion the talons of the Merlin falcon.

She waited patiently for her name to be called and made her way to the stool when it was her turn. She sat down and waited.

 _Oh I hope I get into Slytherin! But I also don't want to lie to myself about who I am. But Dad said he'd prefer I was in Slytherin, though he'd be fine if I was in any house other than Hufflepuff,_ she thought. Just as she felt a shadow fall over her, a voice boomed her House.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" the Sorting Hat announced. The entire hall fell silent, staring at her. She looked up and around at Professor McGonagall. Her stomach dropped when she realized she's been sorted.

"Sit down, Ms. Snape," she heard the Gryffindor Head say quietly. She looked around confused. "Go sit with Hufflepuff."

She gave the tiniest of nods and looked to see what her father's reaction was.

He was leaning away from her, whispering to Professor Quirrel. Her eyes then landed on the Headmaster, who nodded encouragingly, smiling kindly all the while. She hopped off the stool and looked to her father once again. He was looking at her now, confused. She hung her head and made her way to the other side of the Great Hall to sit with Hufflepuff, where a seat was made for her.

She sat with her shoulders hunched in on herself and her head low as she stared at the food that appeared before her. She went through the motions of filling her plate and consuming her meal, not daring to turn around and look at her father for fear that he was already over the shock and was now glaring at her.

After supper she followed her house to the Hufflepuff Common Room and from there up to bed. She changed and went to bed without a single word to any of her new Housemates.

* * *

As Severus watched his daughter hop excitedly up onto the stool, his annoyance flared briefly as Quirrel nudged him in an effort to speak with him.

"What?" he hissed. "My daughter's getting Sorted."

"Sorry. I was just wondering if you thought someone looked familiar in Gryffindor," replied the new Defense professor. Snape followed his gaze and found what looked like James Potter's doppelganger, or what could be his twin.

All the pain and humiliation flashed back through his memory of the torment he'd endured at the hands of James and Sirius. Unknowingly, he glared at the boy. "I see what you mean," he growled to Quirrel. He looked up at Tabitha, wondering whether she'd been Sorted or not and found her looking at him worriedly before she hung her head and made her way over to the Hufflepuff table.

 _Oh, well...I guess that makes sense,_ he thought to himself. He smiled gently, untwisting his mouth from its usual frown slightly. He sighed quietly. _I'm proud of her, all the same. She's my little badger._ He smirked as the food appeared. _My little badger_.


	10. Chapter 10

When she woke the next morning, it took a bit for Tabitha to remember where she was, her spirits rising at being a Hogwarts student, and immediately plunging to virtual despair when she remembered that she was in Hufflepuff, her father's least favourite House.

She slowly got dressed and checked her schedule. She had Potions first. With her father. Easily, the last person she wanted to see or interact with. Nonetheless, she got ready and made her way down to breakfast, squeezing in beside Jake, one of the prefects, and another first year Eliza, or Ellie for short.

She got herself some poached eggs with ham and sliced Canadian bacon with cornmeal crust, something that would occasionally be made as a rare treat. Normally the sight and smell would be enough to send her into excited squeals, but today it only reminded her of how happy she and her father were at home before she was Sorted. She ate her breakfast without tasting it, simply going through the motions before getting some orange slices and other small bits of fruit. After eating, she went to get her supplies for Potions and headed off to class, eyes forward and on the ground in front of her as she made her way down into the dungeons where her father taught. She entered the class and found a couple people already there. She made as if to stand beside someone but they brushed her off.

"My friend is standing here," he said disdainfully, looking down his nose at her. "Why don't you go sit with the _other_ Hufflepuffs and let the grownup Houses learn something?"

"Aherm!" Professor Snape said as he came into the room past the rude student, giving them an icy look. "What's your name?"

"Henry O'Hare, sir! Proud Slytherin like yourself," the student said, sticking his thumbs under the green lapels and thrusting them out.

Snape sighed. "Five points from Slytherin. No one is to use that tone in my lessons, at least not while I can hear it," he said, flashing a nanosecond smile at Tabitha, who kept her eyes on the desk before her. He clapped his hands together once to get their attention. "Right. There's no use for wand-waving, so put them away and I'll teach you the delicate art of brewing potions that can bring a sleep like death, revert anything back to a younger point in its life, and many other things." He began his lesson, instructing his students to get their cauldrons out.

She started to before clearing her desk. She started to before the same student _tsk-tsk_ 'd and helped her set it up. "I'm fine on my own," she hissed. "I've helped him set up stuff for brewing before!"

"Yeah, well I bet he's ashamed of you. What Slytherin would want a Hufflepuff for a daughter?" he sneered. She closed her eyes, tears threatening to race down her cheeks. "Certainly not the Head of Slytherin."

"Back to your station," snapped Snape, startling them both.

He glared at the Slytherin boy, who slunk back to his cauldron, before looking at his daughter, concern in his eyes that she didn't see as she opened her eyes and began following the directions on the board.


	11. Chapter 11

When her father's class ended, Tabitha quickly packed her stuff up, not hearing her father's request that she stay after class to talk to him, and bolted for the door. She looked at her schedule again and found herself heading for the quidditch pitch to learn flying. She dropped off her books and headed out onto the pitch where brooms were waiting.

She heard footsteps behind her and froze upon hearing her father speak. "Would you get back here and talk to me?" he asked. She hunched her shoulders in on herself before turning toward him, hoping she could keep her shame at bay long enough to get through the conversation, preferably until lunch, when she could snarf down her food and find a place to hide out until her next classes. "Look at me, Tabitha." She squished her eyes shut then looked up at him. "Why the sour expression? Is it because you think I'm disappointed in you?" She hung her head and nodded. "Oh. C'mere." He beckoned her forward and they stepped into a little nook out of view from most people. He knelt down to look in her eyes. "Listen to me, okay? You're my little badger. I wouldn't trade you for the world. While I _would_ have preferred you were in a different House, that wouldn't be you. Not to hurt your feelings, but you're not the bravest of souls. And you don't have the pretentiousness of Ravenclaw, nor are you a particularly good liar." She couldn't help but giggle at that. "Hufflepuff is where you are, and it doesn't matter what anyone else says. You're still my daughter. Nothing will change that."

Tears began flowing down her cheeks and he pulled her in for a hug. "I needed that-" She paused. "While at school do I call you Professor, or Dad?"

"When we're alone or with Albus, you can call me Dad. But in front of others, it wouldn't be a bad idea to call me Professor, so no one gets jealous," he said. He held her at arms length. "Now. Remember what I told you. You're still part of my family, and no one can take that away from you. Kay?"

"Okay, Dad," she said quietly, a smile forming on her lips.

He smiled back at her. "Now, you go learn to fly. I've gotta get back to teaching, alright, Tabby?" he said. She chuckled and nodded. They left the nook and went their separate ways.

She scrubbed her face of tears and rejoined her class. They went through the basics and lifted off without too much hassle. Then, about three feet off the ground, Hosier flew in and landed on her shoulder, making her lose her concentration. As a result, she flipped upside down and slowly sank to the ground. "Hosier!" she hissed as the Merlin falcon, who fluttered about without a care in the world. "What are you doing?! Buzz off. I'm learning." She got to her feet and sighed when he flew around, braiding her hair with wildflowers. "Stupid bird," she laughed. When he finished he swooped around to get a look at his handiwork before landing on her shoulder, chest puffed out with pride. "Sorry for the interruption. He was quite excited when I mentioned I'd be learning to fly like him."

"Very nice. Perhaps you could get him off the pitch so we can resume the lesson?" said Henry, the same boy from Potions who'd sassed her.

"Of course. Hosier, watch me. Don't land on me. I'm still learning," she said to her bird. He blinked twice then took off, circling overhead to watch the spectacle. They remounted their brooms and hopped off the ground. "You'll tip me over, Hosier, don't even think about it!" She pointed at the bird who had dipped down to scope her out.

They landed after another hour and a half, Henry making the occasional jab at her, which she ignored, letting the teacher handle him when she finally heard his comments, and they all went to their next class after receiving their homework.


	12. Chapter 12

Everything went smoothly for Tabitha after having that heart-to-heart with her father, until three weeks later when she was on her way into Herbology. Due to her having unnerving punctuality, everyone knew where she was at almost any given time: Lunchtime she spent in the Library, though occasionally (every Thursday), she spent lunch with her father helping him with some small potion making project he'd concocted just for her since she'd taken such a shining to brewing potions. Breakfast she was with everyone else, usually arriving about two minutes before Professor Dumbledore summoned the food to them, after classes and homework, she wandered the halls, usually ending up outside the school just before curfew and having to run back to the Hufflepuff Common Room.

As she entered the Herbology greenhouse for that day, a leg suddenly jumped in front of her, sending her to the ground, where she caught herself. She sat back on her knees and examined her palms, which stung, not noticing the group that surrounded her. When she finally _did_ notice them her usual sunny demeanor wilted somewhat, just for a moment, as fear shivered up her spine.

"Hey guys," she said waving a little. "What's going on? Is there a party here or did I read my schedule wrong?" She forced a chuckle, trying to alleviate some of the anxiety she was feeling, which wound a gnarled, clawed hand around her throat. The hostile glares never even wavered. The next ten minutes were sheer pain as they went at her with fists, feet, hell one person even _bit_ her!

When they finally scattered she dragged herself under a table to hide from any further attacks. Her mind went numb for a bit before her emotions caught up with her and she tucked her knees to her chin and buried her face in a nest she made with her arms. That's how she was found two minutes later when Professor Sprout called her name and silence fell as they waited for her usual cheerful "Here!"

* * *

After coaxing her out of her hiding spot Professor Sprout guided her up to Madam Pomfrey, who instantly got her into some soft pajamas to assess her injuries. Then the Herbology teacher turned to send for Snape who entered at that exact moment, having been summoned by a classmate of Tabitha's who knew how tight their father-daughter relationship was but didn't dare mock it due to knowing how it felt.

He rushed to her side, prompting more tears as she knew, at last, she was safe. He held her close for a while, smoothing her hair and murmuring gently into her scalp. He knew he was shaking, he knew his adrenaline was still coursing through his veins, though it was fading slightly.

Madam Pomfrey did her best to work with them in a way that still assured the poor girl that she was safe without prizing her away from her father.

When she mentioned the bite mark, Snape looked at it himself, holding Tabitha's arm firmly yet gently. A dark look came to his eyes, though he hid it well when she pulled away slightly.


	13. Chapter 13

The next day, after spending a night calming down in the Hospital wing, her father comforting her and petting her hair soothingly to lull her to sleep, Tabitha sat down to breakfast with a bandage on her arm, but otherwise unaffected by her attack. She smiled a greeting to her housemates and tucked into breakfast, feeling her father's eyes looking at her. She turned and looked at him as his eyes scanned the students seated there, a blazing fury in his eyes.

She skipped into her father's office after he summoned her at lunchtime and they sat down to eat.

"How are you doing?" he asked her. She finished chewing and looked up at him with a smile.

"I'm much better. How are you feeling?" she asked.

He couldn't help but smile back. "I'm good," he answered, putting a hand on her left shoulder in a very weak half-hug.

"I knew I was gonna be okay when you held me yesterday in the hospital wing," she said.

He smiled again, his heart leaping for joy. He kissed her hair. "I'm glad to hear that. You had me worried when I heard you'd been hurt," he said.

"On the one hand I wish you'd been there to stop it, but I'm glad you weren't because I don't think those students would have lasted long if you had," she said. He chuckled.

"Probably not," he agreed.

They finished their meal and went their separate ways, sharing a hug before they split off from one another as she headed to Defense Against the Dark Arts.


	14. Chapter 14

A week before Christmas holidays, which she and Snape would be spending at home, Tabitha and Harry ran into each other. She backed up quickly, knowing that if anyone had any reason to lash out at her to get to her father, it was Harry, the boy who her father tormented most.

"S-sorry," she said quietly.

"No, it's my fault. I should have been paying attention to where I was going," he said as he helped her to her feet. "And I'm not going to hurt you to get to your father. You've done nothing to me."

She looked at him curiously. "Everyone else uses me to get to my father, why not you?" she asked.

"You've been through enough, and besides," Harry said as they gathered their belongings, "like I said, you've done nothing to me, so why would I hurt you? All it would do is give your father a reason to punish me most severely."

She couldn't help but giggle at that. "Yeah, I guess you're right," she said. "I still can't believe it was them, though. They seemed so nice."

"Yeah," Harry said as they both remembered how it came to light who had attacked her.

They'd been sitting in the library when Dumbledore and the librarian overheard them laughing about it with some of their fellow students, who sounded uncomfortable as they laughed.

Instead of detentions, and especially instead of informing Snape of who they'd been, Dumbledore had reached out to their parents, letting them humiliate and punish their children. Understandably, after apologizing to her and Snape, they were pulled out of Hogwarts to finish their education at Durmstrang, when the families up and moved to Germany shortly thereafter.

"Yeah..." Harry repeated. "Anyways, we'd best get to class."

"You're right, Harry," she said. "Again, sorry for running into you, and have a great day."

She was surprised when he smiled. "Maybe we'd both do well with keeping aware of our surroundings," he joked. She laughed and nodded. They turned and continued on their original paths. "Anyways, see you later!"  
"See ya!" she called as she waved before turning and continuing her journey to Herbology.


	15. Chapter 15

The time came for students to return home for Christmas, and Snape asked her if she wanted to spend the holiday at home or at Hogwarts.

"I think I just wanna spend Christmas with you," she said, smiling softly at him.

He smiled. "Then we'll go home," he said quietly, scribbling something down. Professor Sprout rounded the corner to join the pair.

"Heading home?" she asked. When Tabitha nodded, she pulled out a scroll and scribbled down her name. "Alright. Have a happy Christmas, you two." Her cheeks became plump cherries that squished her eyes shut, exposing her teeth in a broad grin. Then she turned and left.

"When do we leave?" she asked her father.

He glanced around before smiling down at her gently. "We can leave tomorrow morning, Tabby," he said. "Maybe tonight, depending on if I'm able to get clearance from Albus."

"Consider your plans approved, Severus," Professor Dumbledore said, leaning casually up against the wall, watching the pair with steely blue eyes sparkling with the giddiness of youthful remembrance.

Tabitha grinned, her hair bouncing ever so slightly as she hopped on her toes for a few seconds.

An hour later, they were packed up and waiting to go home. Hosier was fluttering about, a yellow and black tie hanging from his neck and tied around his waist to keep it from hanging down when he was flying or flapping wildly in the wind.

* * *

Christmas morning, Tabitha woke up to Hosier screeching softly in his cage. She was only a morning person on Christmas Day, though even then she wasn't quite energetic, merely awake.

Snape knocked on the door moments later, opening it a second or so later. "Good morning, Tabby," he greeted her warmly. She stretched as big as she could before sighing at how good it felt.

"Good morning, Dad," she replied. "Happy Christmas!"

"Same to you," he said. "Ready for presents or do you want breakfast first?"

Her stomach answered for her, growling loudly. They laughed or chuckled and went out to the kitchen where Snape prepared a quick breakfast for them, Hosier having been let out of his cage. The bird of prey flew out of a window to relieve himself. After eating, they went into the living room and opened their stockings, and yes, even Hosier had one. He stuck his whole body inside it and began ripping things out of it, scarfing down some of the cookies within it. Tabitha excitedly looked at everything while Snape watched, smiling at her reactions.

Finally it was time to open the other presents. Snape passed them out with a wave of his wand, grabbing two in particular before casting the spell.

"Before you open the others, I want you to open these first," he said, passing them to her. "One for you, and one for Hosier, but I don't want him getting sick from the paper."

She eagerly tore into them, though still feeling slightly nervous. In the one addressed to her sat a cute, gold and black knitted cap with badgers stitched into the sides. She happily yanked it on over her head, grinning at her Dad before turning and opening Hosiers. In his was a vest with large holes for his wings. It buttoned in the front and had a small pouch on the back for letters and small packages.

The Merlin falcon landed on a low perch to investigate the new accessory. He held still as Tabitha slipped his wings through the holes and buttoned the vest around him.

"Thoughts?" she asked him, carrying him over to a mirror.

He chrred, turning around and fanning his wings to see everything more clearly as he turned his head to look behind him. He looked at her and crouched low, lifting his wings dramatically before turning to Snape and bobbing excitedly.

They laughed at his antics. "I think he likes it," Snape said. Hosier bobbed a bit more before flying back to his perch, Tabitha returning to her nest of presents not long after and they continued to open their presents.


	16. Chapter 16

As she sat in Defense Against the Dark Arts after returning from Christmas holidays, Hosier still proudly wearing his Hufflepuff vest that also had a built in tie clip so the bird could still wear his tie, she looked up from her notes to find Professor Quirrel not at the front of the class. She felt something brush her shoulder and leaned away from it, looking behind her.

"Hello, Professor," she said. "Can I help you with anything?"

He blinked as a very faint, ghost of a whisper hissed through the air, indiscernible in what the voice or entity was saying. "N-no," He flashed a quick smile before straightening as he made his way to the front of the class, adjusting his clothes. "Just making sure you're taking your notes properly." He picked up his iguana and resumed his lesson.

After time ran out, she packed her belongings and stood, ready to follow everyone else out. She stopped in her tracks when he called her to him. She turned to face him and cautiously approached, the other students slowly filing out, a couple looking in her direction. She heard what he had to say, then turned and left, fading into the crowd. She made her way to Transfiguration, her last class before lunch, after which she had Potions, and Charms.

She entered the classroom and sat in her spot, Harry taking his seat next to her as Hermione had accidentally smacked her in the face while raising her hand quickly. Professor McGonagall had swapped them herself, hoping to prevent another swift trip to the Hospital Wing and the resulting black eye.

Tabitha looked forward and saw Professor McGonagall staring hard at the door, soon followed by everyone turning to follow her gaze, seeing Professor Quirrel disappear. She cleared her throat, drawing attention back to the front.

"Take out your books and refresh your memory by transfiguring a feather into a spoon," she said, taking out a large tome and tapping her wand on the board. They followed her instructions, and while Tabitha did struggle some, it was nothing like poor Neville, who seemed close to tears.

"Would you like some help, Neville?" Tabitha asked him quietly. He shook his head.

"No, I don't want to trouble you," he said.

"Wouldn't be a trouble, and besides, I know you can do it," she assured him, patting his shoulder in an attempt at comfort. "Close your eyes and imagine your magic as something that fills your whole body, then flowing out through your wand as you speak the incantation."

And so he tried, though the results were quite lackluster, turning the feather into a somewhat stiff, slightly metallic paperweight. He hung his head, his hands falling into his lap. "Sorry," he whispered.

"Don't worry about it," she said. She looked at his wand, which had a far more weathered appearance than she expected. "Is that your wand? The one you got from Ollivander's?"

He shook his head glumly. "Gran says I should be proud, honored, that I got my Dad's wand, but I feel like I let them down every time I use it." His chin quivered slightly.

Her eyes widened as she realized what that meant. She raised her hand. "Um, can I speak with you after class, Professor?" she asked politely.

"You may, Miss Snape," McGonagall said.

She turned her attention to transfiguring her own feather a couple times, using _Repifarge_ to undo the spell between takes. Class ended and she went up to the teacher's desk.

"What is it you wished to say, Miss Snape?" she asked.

She hesitated a moment, before sharing what Neville told her. "I only noticed because his wand looks kind of old, sort of like a Muggle wooden chair, weathered by age," she said in conclusion. She paused, debating whether she should continue.

"You believe that he is quite skilled, it's the wand he bears that holds him back?" She nodded. Professor McGonagall called Neville back. "Thank you, Miss Snape. You may go." She nodded and headed off to tend her snarling stomach.

She sat at the Hufflepuff table and tucked into her meal, barely noticing when McGonagall sat at the head table. She was too focused and eagerly stuffing her face.


End file.
